Flour sifter



T. G.'MELISH April 28, 1931.

FLOUR S IFTER Filed July 5, 1930 Patented Apr. 28, 1931 THOMAS G.MELISI-I, OF GIN GINNATI, OHIO FLOUR.

Application filed July 3,

This invention relates to a type of sitter designed especially torhousehold use, to be used in the sitting of such products as flour andthe like.

An object of this invention is to produce such a sitter as Will bringabout a sitting operation in which the resultant sitted product is ofgreater purity than is produced from other sitters ot this general type,in which my improved construction has resulted in a sitter 0t materiallyimproved and simplified operation permitting of its use by one handwithout separate manipulation ot the fingers thereof to sitt the flourwhile simultaneously holding the sitter, and in which an improvementconsists in the elimination of pockets and openings within which flourmay accumulate and become stale or through which flour may leak andbecome spilled or wasted, as well as to produce a sitter in Which allpossible clogging of the mechanism thereot is prevented.

These and other objects are described in the tollowing specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a sitter embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereot, taken on the line 2-2 ot Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged tragmental sectional view tor the purpose ofdisclosing details ot my improved construction, the enlargement beingthat of the lower right hand portion of the sitter as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a tragmental perspective view upon a somewhat enlarged scale,showing a detail 0t my improved sitter, being a portion of the lowerleft hand part of the sitter to disclose the mounting ot one ot theagitator elements thereot.

My improved sitter consists ot a tubular body or shell 5 which is openat both ends, the lower end being intercepted with an upper sitterscreen 6 and a lower sitter screen 7. An annular inwardly extendingshoulder 8 provides support tor the metal-bound edge 9 ot the lowerscreen 7. Between screen 6 and screen 7 is a secondary or spacer shell10 which forms an inner collar upon the upper edge 0t which themetal-bound rim 11 ot SIF'I'ER 1930. Serial No. 465,608.

upper screen 6 rests. In order that flour or other products to be passedthrough the screens, may be caused to do so, I have provided therespective agitators 12 and 13 on the screens 6 and 7. Each of theseagitators is preferably made of wire and is bent to the substantiallyelliptical shape shown in Fig. 1, with a middle finger 14 provided toincrease the efliciency ot the sitter operation. The curved sides 15 and16 of the agitator on each screen, are curved tothe radius of the lnnercurvature of the sitter body so that when the agitators are moved acrossthe screen from side to side, as suggested in dotted lines in Fig. 1, noportion of the screen will be omitted in the sitting operation. In orderthat this side to side motion of the agitators may be accomplished, Ihave mounted them pivotally in the shell, as follows:

Agitator 6 is provided with an upturned shank or shatt 17 which is atright angles to the agitator and lies against the side of the sittershell so that it is held against this side by bearing lugs 18 and 19located respectively at substantial top and bottom positions by beingtastened to the shell as suggested in Fig. 2. The upper end of shank 17is turned outwardly to term an extension 20 at right angles to shank 17and thence downwardly to form a handle-bearing portion 21 upon which thehandle 22 is mounted tor rigid attachment thereto as shown by theembedded dotted line positions in Fig. 2. At the lower end ot portion 21an extension 23, corresponding to extension 20, terminates in a shortshank, shatt or ofi'set'2 i turned downwardly and trom which at right.angles the lower agitator 13 extends to lie parallel to and to operateover screen 7. Lower shank or shaft 24 is positioned to lie back ofspacer shell 10 so that it occupies the annular space 25 providedbetween this shell and the body shell, thereby afiording a bearing torthe shatt. In this manner the lower agitator is kept in position withshatt 24 held against the inner wall of the body shell, as particularlyshown in Fig. 4, and side to side move ment of the lower agitator isobtained by rocking extension 23 in the mounting hole which it occupiesin the body shell.

It is quite obvious that operation of the rigidly connected with saidarms, whereby sifter is very simple in that it is but necesthe Siftermay be lifted and the agitators sary to grasp the handle 22 and to shakethe caused to function relatively to the screens. sifter from side toside so that the body will In testimony whereof I hereunto ZlfilX mypivot on the shafts 17 and 2% and thereby signature. 70 cause relativemovement of the agitators 12 THOMAS G. MELISH. and 13 in associationwith the screens 6 and It is at this point that the function of z. thesecondary shell 10 becomes apparent. 10 Were it not for the fact thatthis shell is so 7 shaped as to direct all the flour from screen 6 ontothe meshed portion of screen 7, an accumulation of flour would form inand about the space, pocket or annular groove 5 between metalbound edge9 and the inner 80 wall of body shell 5. Because of the inaccessibilityof this space between the two screens, whereby thorough cleanin couldreadily be accomplished, such an accumulation of sifted 2o materialwould result in an unsanitary con- 7 =35 dition and be likely to causestale or mouldy flour to become loosened therefrom and drop into thesifted batch. lhe secondary shell 10 prevents this by keeping all flouraway from this pocket and directing it onto and I '30 through screen 7.Thus, the shell 10 per forms triple function inthat it maintains thespaced relation of screens 6 and 7, as well as operatesto retain shaft24: against the inner wall of shell 5, and also serves to 415 preventthe accumulation and formation of a stale, moldy and unsanitary depositof sifted material in and about the rim of the screen and body shell.Having thus described my invention, what 100 I claim is:

1. In combination in a sifter, a body shell open at both ends, screensacross the shell adjacent to one end, a secondary shell within the bodyshell, spaced therefrom and spacing 2105 the screens apart, an agitatoron each screen, a shaft on each agitator at a right angle to the planeof the agitator and cooperating screen, said shafts occupying andadapted to reciprocate in the same axial position, a bearing in the bodyshell above the screens, said bearing mounting one of the shafts, abearing in the body shell between the screens, said second mentionedbearing mounting the other 50 of the shafts between the shells, armsfrom 11-15 the shafts extending from the body shell, and a handlemounted by the arms for lifting the sifter and moving the agitatorsrelatively to the screens.

2. A sifter comprising a body shell, screens across the shell at oneend, a secondary shell within the body shell and spacing the screensapart, an agitator on each screen, bearings in the body shell andpivoting the agitators therein, the bearing for one agitator beinglocated above the screens, the bearing for the other agitator beinglocated between the screens to pivot it back of the secondary shell,arms extending from the agitators to a posi- 55 tion beyond the bodyshell, and a handle

